Rancho Palos Verdes says it's dealing with a much larger and faster moving landslide
Rancho Palos Verdes officials are warning there’s a much larger, deeper landslide underneath the shallower movement they’ve been monitoring, raising the stakes for properties that have already seen heavy damage. It was the first significant landslide update from the city’s geologist in more than a month. Earlier this month, city officials said the inspections were necessary for dozens of homes to make sure structures were safe to inhabit and for emergency responders to enter in an area that had seen land movement of up to 13 inches a week. Ramzi Awwad, the public works director, told the City Council that the deeper slide is moving much faster, and means their stabilization strategy needs to be changed to tackle the landslides as a whole, rather than individually. It’s been more than two months since the city started drilling boreholes with the goal of finding where water has concentrated underground. Once it's located, the plan has been to pump it out with hydraugers to ease the weight and hopefully slow the slide.
Joining us this morning on AirTalk is Yusra Farzan, general assignment reporter for LAist and resident of Rancho Palos Verdes and Mayor John Cruikshank, mayor of Rancho Palos Verdes
Read the full LAist story here.
California legislature looks to build off its single-use plastic bags ban
A decade ago, the state legislature became the first state in the country to ban “single-use” plastics, looking to minimize waste and pollution, as well as improve our recycling process. In that time, we’ve seen the rise of thicker plastic bags that could endure multiple uses, although their one-time persists. More plastic use and little improvement in our recycling numbers have pushed legislators forward with Assembly Bill 2236 and Senate Bill 1053, which would now ban plastic film bags and push for greater use of paper bags. The course correction has left some skeptical about this decision, whether they’re open to plastic use or disagree with this approach to resolving the stated issue. So to better understand what could come from the suggested ban proponent for the bill, Californians Against Waste executive director Mark Murray. We also will hear from a critic of the legislation, Roxanne Spiekerman, spokesperson for the Responsible Recycling Alliance, a coalition of three California recyclers and manufacturers against the bills.
Your most transformative concert experience
For many live music lovers and frequent concert-goers, there’s always that one performance that was better than all the others. Maybe it was the first time you finally saw your all-time favorite artist up close and personal in a packed venue, or maybe it was a more intimate performance with a smaller audience and venue. For Larry Mantle, it was a night at a Chicago cocktail lounge called The Green Mill featuring jazz organist Tony Monaco and his group. Larry said “I've seen Miles [Davis], Ella [Fitzgerald], Dizzy [Gillespie], Carmen McRae, Sarah Vaughn, Ray Charles, Freddie Hubbard, etc. It was a night with a lesser-known organist from Ohio that provided my ‘Elton John levitating-like’ experience.”
What is the most transformative concert you’ve ever seen? Share your story now by calling 866-893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com.
Sewage spills, urban runoff and bacteria. What are the best and worst beaches in LA?
Last week, the City of Los Angeles agreed to pay $20 million to clean LA beaches that have been contaminated with sewage water. The cleanup comes from a massive spill in 2021 from the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant where millions of gallons of wastewater discharged into the ocean. This news comes as LA beaches are reporting high levels of pollution, making many of them unsafe for swimming.
Last month, Heal the Bay released its annual Beach Report Card. While most beaches are safe to swim in summer, two in L.A. County were among the top ten most polluted in the state based on bacteria levels. Heal the Bay, an environmental non-profit focused on water health, released their 34th annual report Wednesday, ranking beaches across the state. The 2024 report focused on the impact of climate change on ocean water quality. Joining us today on AirTalk to discuss pollution at LA beaches is Deputy Director for Health Protection, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Dr. Nichole Quick and chief executive officer of Heal The Bay, Tracy Quinn.
Biden’s “parole in place” program for immigrant spouses is halted after Texas led lawsuit
A federal judge in Texas on Monday paused a Biden administration policy that would give spouses of U.S. citizens legal status without having to first leave the country, dealing at least a temporary setback to one of the biggest presidential actions to ease a path to citizenship in years. The administrative stay issued by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker comes just days after 16 states, led by Republican attorneys general, challenged the program that could benefit an estimated 500,000 immigrants in the country, plus about 50,000 of their children. The states accused the administration of bypassing Congress for “blatant political purposes.” One of the states leading the challenge is Texas, which in the lawsuit claimed the state has had to pay tens of millions of dollars annually from health care to law enforcement because of immigrants living in the state without legal status. The lawsuit also argues that the program is an attempt to grant parole to immigrant spouses "en masse" which is an abuse of power. President Joe Biden announced the program in June. The court order, which lasts for two weeks but could be extended, comes one week after the Department of Homeland Security began accepting applications.
Today on AirTalk, we're joined by Leon Fresco, an immigration attorney in Holland & Knight's Washington, D.C., office, to discuss the legal arguments at play and what it could mean for immigrants and their families moving forward.
With files from the Associated Press
How to get away from cynicism in a world that feels…well, cynical
Cynicism can become a vicious cycle, according to Stanford University psychology professor Jamil Zaki. It perpetuates thinking the worst in people, and as a result, receiving just that. But what are we to do when the world we live in is full of problems and inequality? Become hopeful skeptics, says Zaki. It just takes a little more critical thinking. Zaki joins Larry to talk about his scientific approach to determining how we can push back on cynicism. His new book is Hope For Cynics: The Surprising Science Of Human Goodness (Grand Central Publishing, September 3, 2024). Do you consider yourself a cynic? Have you tried to fight those tendencies? Has it been possible to change them and how did you do it? Call us at 866-893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com.
